WORKING AFTER PROHIBITED HOURS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 8525, 3 November 1888, Page 5

WORKING AFTER PROHIBITED HOURS.

(per press association.) ■ Christchurch, November 2.

At the Resident Magistrate’s Court to-day (before C. Wbitefoord, R.M., and R. West, enrai, George Tombs and George H. Whitoombe were charged with keeping at work during prohibited hours, to wit at 2.55 p.m, on Saturday, October 27, eight young women, Alice Tucker, Emma Minify, Kate Collinson, Maud Baker, Mary L. Bailey, Emma Blakely, Ellen Farmer and Mabel Buckley, and on another information with keeping at work three young persons, Herbert Williams, John Findlay and Thomas McKay. Mr Kippenberger appeared for the defendants, and said they wished the matter settled apart from any technical objections and points of law. The defendants wished to get the judicial decision on the question, and on the day named in the information worked the young women and lads at the hour mentioned, having previously given the Inspector notice that they intended to do so. The Inspector attended, and gave his decision that employment at such work in such a manner was illegsl. Mr Pender, in answer to Mr Kippenberger, would agree as to the facts of the case as stated by Mr Kippenberger that girls were employed in folding sheets as they came from the print. ing-room below, and they were at work in the upper story of the building. The flat they were on was known as the bookbinding department, and part of the premises of Whitcombe, Tombs and Co., Limited, and they were actually worked only hours during the week, less than the time (48 hours) permitted by section 5 of the Act of 1881. Mr Pender said that the Inspector thought that, the work could not be held to be done in a printing office. Mr Kippenberger would call evidence to show that the work done was part of work incidental to printing. George Whitcombe said he was managing director of the Company, and the boys and girls were at work upstairs until half past 4 on that Saturday. Tucker, Minify, and Collinson, three girls who had been summoned to attend the Court, were employed infolding sheets,ashe thought theothei girls also were. One of the boys was print, ing envelopes, another stitching, and another covering cheque-books. The work of folding was incidental to printing. To Mr Kippenberger : “ There are two small printing machines in the building. The firm printed and published such newspapers as The Schoolmaster, Church News, and the War Cry.” Mr'Kippenberger admitted that the wording of the Act was against him, though he thought it a fair interpretation that boys might be employed, where news, papers were published, up till half-past 4 on Saturday. Kate Collinson, sworn, said she was one of seven or eight girls at work in the bindery, folding and metal-fastening catalogues. Mr Whitcombe here stated that as a matter of fact the catalogues were not bound at their place. Mr Kippenberger submitted that the Bench could not convict the defendants, as they were not employers, but merely worked for the Company. The Bench, after Mr Kippenberger’s statement that he would waive the technicalities, would give a decision on the broad facts of the case, and on reference to the Act of 1885 they decided against the defendants. The Act gave power to work on newspapers on Saturdays, and to make evening newspapers of any value to their proprietors this mast be done, bus they could not hold that the work done on the occasion had anything to do with newspapers. The defendants would be fined Is on each case, and 7s coats.